Of Ice and indescision

Clear, 4°C


Drove, no Ice could, have ridden, pah!
Sunset- favourable, mornings- lighter and I’m charmed by a delightful tutor group. What can I do to let them know how much I appreciate them?
Chrome:it is really no problem writing a blog entry in Chrome in raw HTML, line breaks, paragraphs and style are obvious really.

Google Chrome

8°C, Sun then really stormy rain


Google Chrome is another Mozilla web browser. It’s fabulous, quick easy to use and unsullied by frivolous nonsense (no themes- wooo…). Some "web2.0" features don’t work properly, but it’s just so fast … so what?

However, Live Space edits only in html mode, which is alright for some (you Arnaud).
Each tab in Chrome is listed separately in Task manager, also the same page open in Chrome consumes 1/2 the memory that Firefox uses. So run Chrome while you are using the computer for other things. Actually, there are some cosmetics- the start page shows a picture of pages you opened last session. Keyboard shortcuts are the same as Firefox. You don’t stand a chance IE7.

Rosie woke badly

4°C, frost & black ice near work.


Woke-up just before the alarm to the most haunting mournful howling. I have heard this dreadful sound just a few times before, the reason is unclear. My best guess is that Rosie had a nightmare. She got some friendly, reassuring fuss.Static chocolates: I have these Roses Chocolates, individually wrapped and a mix of 5 flavours. Eating them is entertaining. Untwist and try to shake of the wrapper, that should be the unremarkable bit. Not so, each one is an insecure individual that just can’t be let go. It sticks to your hand magnetically, static electricity is fun.

Slumdog Millionaire (yesterday)

7°C, Westerly, back to normal January weather.


Yesterday’s film: A "feel-good" film that is not too sickly. It wasn’t sickly at all unlike the rest of that genre. Add it to your recommended list.


Howling Tree: it’s lived there for decades, gazing out at passing travellers like me. Or did it, on this well travelled route- I haven’t noticed this entity before. Do you put on a more cheerful face for other visitors? The wind blew hard as I shot this one, it made un-earthly noises in the wires above my head.
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Full moon & waiting for…

-3°C, mist & still


"Waiting For The Miracle" Leonard Cohen

  Baby, I’ve been waiting,
I’ve been waiting night and day.
I didn’t see the time,
I waited half my life away.
There were lots of invitations
and I know you sent me some,
but I was waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.
I know you really loved me.
but, you see, my hands were tied.
I know it must have hurt you,
it must have hurt your pride
to have to stand beneath my window
with your bugle and your drum,
and me I’m up there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Ah I don’t believe you’d like it,
You wouldn’t like it here.
There ain’t no entertainment
and the judgements are severe.
The Maestro says it’s Mozart
but it sounds like bubble gum
when you’re waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Waiting for the miracle
There’s nothing left to do.
I haven’t been this happy
since the end of World War II.

Nothing left to do
when you know that you’ve been taken.
Nothing left to do
when you’re begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
when you’ve got to go on waiting
waiting for the miracle to come.

I dreamed about you, baby.
It was just the other night.
Most of you was naked
Ah but some of you was light.
The sands of time were falling
from your fingers and your thumb,
and you were waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come

Ah baby, let’s get married,
we’ve been alone too long.
Let’s be alone together.
Let’s see if we’re that strong.
Yeah let’s do something crazy,
something absolutely wrong
while we’re waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.

Nothing left to do …

When you’ve fallen on the highway
and you’re lying in the rain,
and they ask you how you’re doing
of course you’ll say you can’t complain —
If you’re squeezed for information,
that’s when you’ve got to play it dumb:
You just say you’re out there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come.


Keep off the Chase: Dogs, we can’t go there for a while. Read- Phytophthora ramorum
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Tomorrow’s commute (today)

2°C, clear with some mist.


I got shouted at by an irate driver coming home. Interesting was the opener for his argument: "Why do you think the council built that cycle-path?" What does it matter the reason, it is a dangerous route, and I do have the right to exercise the choice not to use it. Riding in the road didn’t cause anybody any inconvenience, least of all – him on that wide stretch of road. He didn’t offer any reasons why I should use the path as an alternative, so I was left with the apparent rationale- "the council put it there so you are obliged to use it". Maybe that’s not what he was thinking, but if it was… perhaps he got it from the Daily Mail. I wasn’t interested in getting to the bottom of his thinking since he was aggressively shouting at me for something harmless.

The conflict ended after some social un-niceties, finally with him inadvertently declaring himself a bigger wanker than me. That left me with the perilous task of making a right turn at lights while trying not to laugh too hysterically.
Open-mouthed
It’s Friday afternoon, the weekend starts now: be in a good mood old boy.

If it’s not one thing…

3°C, low cloud, grey.


Roads now ridable, but bike not: The lights don’t work and it’s not clear why. I think it’s a cable, the one with the switch in, that has failed. Just as I was really feeling the urge to get some miles in.

Later: I found the fault, after poking around with a volt-meter and eliminating one possibility after another. They now work and are ready for tomorrow’s commute. Fog & mist is due so they better be bright.

Exercise makes warm

-4 up to -2°C, sunny.


Can’t cycle, it’s too slippery on the ice. No exercise means I can feel the cold, my spring is getting wound up quite a bit now. A decent ride brews warmth from within for days.
Last resort is the gym. Gulp.

Dropping low, really low

0°C, dropping to -7°.


Cold eastern air:  gripping tight, coating everything in a hazardous slippery skin. We’re heading down to -7° tonight. Survive.

Woolies: Woolworths has closed. A big national chain over 100 years old or something. Erm, folks are quite nostalgic about it. But wait I say- have I ever bought anything there? Er, no- it was a crappy shop